Final answer as to whether Missouri’s new congressional map is legal could come in January
Alison Patton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Gov. Mike Kehoe’s “Missouri First” map is facing five lawsuits and one referendum seeking to overturn it.
An attorney working on two of those lawsuits said the earliest decision on the legality of this map could come in January.
Chuck Hatfield is representing two groups that filed different lawsuits against redistricting. Hatfield said the decision on the map is likely to go to the Missouri Supreme Court.
Hatfield is the attorney for People Not Politicians, the group backing a referendum to overturn the map, and the attorney for a separate lawsuit brought on by a group of voters who will be placed in different congressional districts.
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins filed a lawsuit against People Not Politicians in federal court, asking the judge to bar the group from collecting signatures to put the new map on the ballot for voters to approve. That case will be heard Nov. 25.
People Not Politicians filed a motion to dismiss the case on Monday, arguing to a federal judge, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, to dismiss the case because the lawsuit deals with state law, not federal law.
Currently, U.S. Representatives for Missouri need to file their candidacy in their new congressional district starting Feb. 24 and before March 31, if they’re planning to run again, according to the Secretary of State.
All Missouri Representatives filed their statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission for the 2026 election, according to FEC documents. Representatives filed in late 2024 or early 2025 for their districts in the previous congressional map.
The voters who are suing the state have a trial set for Nov. 12 at 10 a.m., and the People Not Politicians case against Hoskins has a trial set for Thursday at 2 p.m. Cole County judges will hear both.